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Source: The Washington Post / Getty / Hamilton
Donald Trump and his fellow MAGA Republicans are BIG MAD they won’t get to enjoy the hit musical Hamilton after the folks behind it said it wants nothing to do with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after Felon 47 named himself chairman.
The musical Hamilton telling the Kennedy Center to kick rocks is the latest punch to the gut since Trump decided to take over. The show was supposed to run from March 3 and April 26, 2026, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Things have been going downhill for the once prestigious institution after the mass firings rocked the Kennedy Center. Artists like Issa Rae canceled her upcoming sold-out show, and other notable names like screenwriter Shonda Rhimes cut ties with the Kennedy Center to protest Trump.
Trump’s reasoning for the takeover, he doesn’t want “NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA.”
Riiiigggghhhttt.
Hamilton’s Creator & Producer Respond To Trump’s Takeover of The Kennedy Center
Regarding the decision, Hamilton’s creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and producer Jeffrey Seller didn’t mince their words and kept it real.
In an interview with the New York Times, Miranda said Hamilton won’t be coming to the Kennedy Center because he didn’t want anything to do with the “Trump Kennedy Center.”
“This latest action by Trump means it’s not the Kennedy Center as we knew it. The Kennedy Center was not created in this spirit, and we’re not going to be a part of it while it is the Trump Kennedy Center. We’re just not going to be part of it,” Miranda said.
In a statement, Steller added that the show will not be coming to the Kennedy Center because of the “purge” of the cultural center’s staff, adding that it wasn’t an action against the current Trump administration, but against “partisan policies” following the MAGA takeover.
“The recent purge by the Trump administration of both professional staff and performing arts events at or originally produced by the Kennedy Center flies in the face of everything this national cultural center represents. Given these recent actions, our show simply cannot, in good conscience, participate and be a part of this new culture that is being imposed on the Kennedy Center,” Steller said.
The Trumpers Are MAD
As expected, Donald Trump’s supporters, including, Richard Grenell, the interim executive director of the Kennedy Center are S A L T Y about Lin-Manuel and co saying no Hamilton for you.
Using his angry MAGA fingers, the Trumper wrote on X: “Let’s be clear on the facts. Seller and Lin-Manuel Miranda first went to The New York Times before they came to the Kennedy Center with their announcement that they can’t be in the same room with Republicans. This is a publicity stunt that will backfire. The arts are for everyone—not just for the people who Lin likes and agrees with. The American people need to know that Lin-Manuel Miranda is intolerant of people who don’t agree with him politically. It’s clear he and Seller don’t want Republicans going to their shows. Americans see you, Lin.”
Awwwww, you mad Grenell?
You can see more reactions below while enjoying a big cup of MAGA tears to sip on.
4. LOL, now it’s “woke”
8. Awwww, you mad?
Hamilton is taking a stand.
The beloved musical was scheduled to perform at the Kennedy Center for the third time in March and April of 2026, but have since canceled the run due to President Donald Trump‘s recent takeover of the performing arts institution. “Political disagreement and debate are vital expressions of democracy,” lead producer Jeffrey Seller said in a statement, shared to the official Hamilton X page. “These basic concepts of freedom are at the very heart of Hamilton. However, some institutions are sacred and should be protected from politics. The Kennedy Center is one such institution.”
He continued, “The Kennedy Center was founded over 50 years ago with a sincere bipartisan spirit. Indeed, it was founded during the administration of President Dwight Eisenhower, named after President John F. Kennedy, and opened in 1971 under the administration of Richard M. Nixon. The Kennedy Center was meant to be for all Americans, a place where we could all come together in celebration of the arts. Politics have never affected the presentation of thousands of shows and the display of extraordinary visual arts.”
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However, Seller noted that, “Given the recent actions, our show simply cannot, in good conscience, participate and be a part of this new culture that is being imposed on the Kennedy Center.”
In the first month of his second term, Trump fired the Kennedy Center’s leadership and replaced the board of trustees with his supporters, ultimately announcing he had been “unanimously” elected the board’s chair. “At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN,” he wrote on his social media website at the time, according to the Associated Press. “I have decided to immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture.”
Several other famous names associated with the Kennedy Center resigned following the news, including Ben Folds, Renée Fleming and Shonda Rhimes. Like the Hamilton production, Issa Rae is also among those who cancelled shows at the Kennedy Center.
Lin-Manuel Miranda made a surprise return as Alexander Hamilton during a cameo on Saturday Night Live.
The NBC sketch comedy show’s cold open on Jan. 25 featured Miranda reprising his iconic Hamilton role in a hilarious spoof of the U.S. founding fathers signing the Declaration of Independence.
The nearly seven-minute sketch began with Miranda, dressed in full Hamilton attire, joining his fellow statesmen as he rapped about America’s future.
“What matters is the nation we build,” the Tony winner rapped. “Because in America, all men are created equal. America, not England. We’re doing the sequel. And we will have leaders, but no one thing. In America we will never have a king.”
The Broadway star’s performance was interrupted by SNL cast member James Austin Johnson, who impersonated Donald Trump. Johnson’s Trump took the spotlight, boasting about becoming the 47th president.
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“Never say never,” Johnson’s Trump said as Miranda and the other founding fathers froze in place. “Kidding of course, though many ways I’m not. I’m in my king era.”
He continued, “But just like the founding fathers, I am creating a new country as well. And just like them, we’re doing it very whitely. DEI is over. It’s dead. Workplaces must go back to looking like the TV show The Office: mostly white people but with one funny Black guy who is having a really bad time.”
After making a playful jab at Trump’s 18-year-old son Barron, Johnson’s Trump declared his second inauguration a “tremendous success,” saying, “It was inside due to cold and fear. But we had a lot of surprise guests. Like Melania. That was nice.”
The president then took aim at Miranda, teasing him for being “tricked into coming here and now he’s frozen on stage.”
“Oh, look at Lin,” Johnson’s Trump said, mocking Miranda’s stillness. “Look at how bad he wants to do a rap. He wrote a whole rap and he doesn’t get to do it. Oh, the audience would have eaten that up. But we’re not gonna hear it.”
Getting closer to Miranda’s frozen Hamilton, Johnson’s Trump taunted, “He’s in sniffing distance of an EGOT and he’s got to stand there until I’m done.” Miranda finally broke character, cracking a smile as Trump continued, “Lindy, Lindy, Lindy, Lindy. Laura Linney. Lin-Manuel Miranda Cosgrove. There he is.”
Saturday’s episode also featured Timothée Chalamet, star of the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, pulling double duty as both host and musical guest. You can catch recaps of his monologue here and his musical performances here.
Watch SNL‘s “Founding Fathers Cold Open” below. For those without cable, the broadcast streams on Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans access to previous SNL episodes.
As smoke from Canadian wildfires blankets New York City, Broadway performances of “Hamilton” and “Camelot” was among those canceled Wednesday night (June 7). Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Hamilton” organizers scrapped the show less than two hours before the 8pm ET curtain call on account of […]
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